Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at age 14. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. Army, he returned to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs first as a hobby and then as a club performer.
A member of Chicago's folk revival, a laudatory review by critic Roger Ebert built Prine's popularity. Singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson heard Prine at Steve Goodman's insistence, and Kristofferson invited Prine to be his opening act, leading to Prine's eponymous debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaim Prine earned from his first LP led to three more albums for Atlantic. He then recorded three albums with Asylum Records. In 1981, he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent label where he released most of his subsequent albums.
Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary and songs that recollect sometimes melancholy tales from his life.
Prine was the son of William Mason Prine, a tool-and-die maker, and Verna Valentine (Hamm), a homemaker, both originally from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Maywood. In summers, they would go back to visit family near Paradise, Kentucky. Prine started playing guitar at age 14, taught by his brother, David. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, and graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He was a U.S. Postal Service mailman for five years and was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War era, serving as a vehicle mechanic in West Germany before beginning his musical career in Chicago.
Prine is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. He has been referred to as "the Mark Twain of songwriting".
Johnny Cash, in his autobiography Cash, wrote, "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years—Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four ..."
Roger Waters, when asked by Word Magazine in 2008 if he heard Pink Floyd's influence in newer British bands such as Radiohead, replied, "I don't really listen to Radiohead. I listened to the albums and they just didn't move me in the way, say, John Prine does. His is just extraordinarily eloquent music—and he lives on that plane with Neil [Young] and [John] Lennon." He later named Prine as among the five most important songwriters.
Prine's influence is seen in the work of younger artists, whom he often mentored, including Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Tyler Childers, and Robin Pecknold.
The last song Prine recorded before he died was "I Remember Everything", released on June 12, 2020, alongside a music video. It was released following the two-hour special tribute show, A Tribute Celebrating John Prine aired on June 11, 2020, which featured Sturgill Simpson, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt, Rita Wilson, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile and many other country artists and friends.[45] On the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Prine singing "I Remember Everything" was the soundtrack to the COVID-19 memorial video.
Just Wanna Be With You
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my shirt is stickin' out of my jeans
You got me painted in the corner
Where I'm livin' way beyond my means
Outside my window
A bird once flew
Now I don't even care
What kind of gum I chew
I just want to be with you
Well I don't want to wash the dishes
But I'm wishin' I could wash my hair
You been on my mind so long
You must livin' up there
Well it's up to the circus
And down to the zoo
The monkey's lookin' at me
Like I'm lookin' at you
And oh baby
I just want to be with you
I don't want to go to london
To visit the queen
She don't like my english
If you know what I mean
Don't want to walk around
Like I got nothin' to do
Uh uh baby want to be with you
Uh uh baby want to be with you
Well I was cleaning out my wallet
While I'm sittin' on my livin' room rug
I was lookin' at the numbers of the women
That I thought I dug
There was one that begged
One that teased
One god blessed me
Every time I sneezed
But oh baby
I just want to be with you
I want to be with you
When there ain't no love
When the banks all close
With the stars above
Lonely won't be lonesome
When we get through
And uh uh baby want to be with you
Uh uh baby want to be with you
In "Just Wanna Be With You," John Prine sings about his desire to be with someone he loves, to the point that everything else in his life becomes insignificant. He paints a picture of a man in love who is willing to leave everything behind to be with his dream girl. He describes his current situation as "beyond his means," and he wants nothing more than to leave it all behind and be with his true love. He laments his daily tasks, such as washing dishes and cleaning, and would much rather spend his time with his love interest.
John Prine uses several metaphors to convey his feelings. He says that he's "painted in the corner," indicating that he feels trapped in his current situation, and he's "living beyond his means," showing that his current lifestyle isn't sustainable. He's also cleaning out his wallet and sees several numbers of women he once loved, but none of them compare to the one he wants to be with now. He doesn't want to go to London to visit the queen, indicating that nothing else in the world matters to him if he can't be with this person. The chorus repeats, highlighting his desire to be with her no matter what.
Overall, "Just Wanna Be With You" is a love song that conveys the singer's intense desire to leave everything behind and be with the one he loves. Despite the many distractions and obstacles that come his way, his only goal is to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
I got an airplane ticket
I have a ticket for a flight
And my shirt is stickin' out of my jeans
My shirt is not tucked in properly
You got me painted in the corner
You have put me in a difficult situation
Where I'm livin' way beyond my means
My expenses are too high for my income
Outside my window
Looking outside my window
A bird once flew
A bird that used to fly outside my window
Now I don't even care
I am not interested in it anymore
What kind of gum I chew
The type of gum that I am chewing
And oh baby
An expression of love or affection
I just want to be with you
I want to be close to you
Well I don't want to wash the dishes
I do not want to wash the dishes
But I'm wishin' I could wash my hair
I would like to be clean and fresh
You been on my mind so long
I have been thinking about you a lot
You must livin' up there
You are constantly on my mind
Well it's up to the circus
There are different paths to take
And down to the zoo
They can lead to different outcomes
The monkey's lookin' at me
A monkey is staring at me
Like I'm lookin' at you
The way I look at you
And oh baby
An expression of love or affection
I just want to be with you
I want to be close to you
I don't want to go to london
I do not want to travel to London
To visit the queen
To meet with the queen of England
She don't like my english
The queen does not appreciate my style of English
If you know what I mean
You understand what I am saying or implying
Don't want to walk around
I do not want to wander aimlessly
Like I got nothin' to do
As if I do not have any plans or work to do
Uh uh baby want to be with you
I really want to be close to you
Well I was cleaning out my wallet
Going through my wallet or financial records
While I'm sittin' on my livin' room rug
Sitting on the rug in my living room
I was lookin' at the numbers of the women
I was looking at the contact information of various women
That I thought I dug
That I was interested in
There was one that begged
One who was very desperate for my attention
One that teased
One who played games or teased me
One god blessed me
One who was very good to me
Every time I sneezed
Whenever I sneezed, this person would attend to me
But oh baby
An expression of love or affection
I just want to be with you
I want to be close to you
I want to be with you
I desire your company and presence
When there ain't no love
When there is no love around
When the banks all close
When banks have closed for the day
With the stars above
Under the sky full of stars
Lonely won't be lonesome
The feeling of loneliness would not be so strong
When we get through
When we are together
And uh uh baby want to be with you
I really want to be close to you
Uh uh baby want to be with you
I want to be close to you
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind